Lewis
ST. LOUIS - Dean Emeritus and professor of law Jeffrey E. Lewis was named the 2012 recipient of the Robert J. Kutak Award, the highest honor given by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
The award is presented annually to honor an individual who has made significant contributions to the collaboration of the legal academy, the bench and the bar.
Lewis will be honored at a reception hosted by the Kutak Rock law firm and the ABA on Aug. 3 in Chicago as part of the ABA's annual meeting.
"This is such a tremendously well-deserved honor for Jeff," said Annette E. Clark, dean of Saint Louis University School of Law. "His years of service and leadership have enhanced the practice and teaching of law not only at our school, but throughout the entire legal profession."
Lewis served as dean of SLU LAW for 11 years until his return to full-time teaching in 2010.
Under his leadership, the law school experienced exceptional advancement, including increases in scholarship assistance for students, full-time tenure-track faculty and resources for faculty scholarship, as well as improving student-to-faculty ratio. During his deanship the size of the Legal Clinics tripled, and it now provides nearly 300 students annually with invaluable legal training while providing services to the community.
Lewis also created the 1843 Scholars, a program that awards full-tuition scholarships to deserving students. Prior to coming to SLU LAW, Lewis was dean at the University of Florida College of Law for eight years.
Lewis has served as the chair and as a member of dozens of ABA and the Association of American Law Schools site evaluation teams. He also served on the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar's Council, Accreditation Consistency Committee, and Accreditation Committee, serving as its chair from 1996 to 1999. Lewis is currently the chair of the Section's Standards Review Committee. He is also a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and served as a Master of the Bench of the Chester Bedell Inn of Court.